Item transport systems, such as mailpiece handling systems, for example, are known in the art. These systems include inserter systems, which create mailpieces and prepare them for mailing, as well as sortation systems, which sort completed mailpieces and direct the mailpieces to storage pockets or bins, depending on the system's configuration. Sortation of mailpieces may be carried out either prior to mailing (i.e., outsorting) or upon receipt from a postal carrier (i.e., insorting). Other types of transport systems and related applications are known.
In some mailpiece handling systems, mailpieces are transported using belts or chain drives between stations where they undergo various types of processing. The processing may include cutting, folding, scanning, weighing, printing, and labeling, for example.
Some systems are configured to process mailpieces of different sizes and/or different types. In one example, a mailpiece handling system may be configured to process envelopes of different sizes. Other systems may be configured to process different types of mailpieces, such as envelopes, postcards, magazines, and catalogs, for example.
Many of the processing steps implemented by mailpiece handling systems require precise spacing between mailpieces and orientation of the respective mailpieces. Control of the mailpieces may be applied at various points in a typical mailpiece handling system, including at the infeed portion, as well as on the transports that move mailpieces between the various processing stations.
Difficulties with mailpiece control may be encountered in systems that handle mailpieces of different sizes and/or different types, as discussed above. In a further complicating factor, the various items may be provided with different wrapping materials, ranging from no wrapping material in the case of envelopes to polymer coverings in the case of magazines, for example. These difficulties add to the complexity of mailpiece handling systems and decrease their reliability.
Complex handling methods may be utilized to provide control of mailpieces where these difficulties exist. To improve the operating efficiency of such systems, however, it may be desirable to minimize the duration of complex handling functions where possible.